Thunderstorms
by TCIF
Summary: The first story of several I plan in the NCIS universe. A strange woman comes to NCIS claiming to have information on a case. Now Gibbs and his team must race to find out who she is, and solve the mystery surrounding her before it's too late. And for Gibbs, this case is personal. This is the first installment of my NCIS Storms series.
1. Chapter 1

In one hand she clutched her daughter's tiny hand, and in the other hand a piece of paper. Shivering in the cold winter wind, she once again tried to keep the wind from affecting the child. The little girl whimpered, kneeling down, she hugged her tight. "I know you are tired, baby. We're almost there." Noticing the street signs, she gripped the girls hand tightly, "I promise, just hold on a bit longer, and we'll get somewhere warm and dry."

After walking another two blocks, and ignoring the stares of numerous passersby, she entered the building she had been looking for, after confirming the address written on the piece of paper. The guard frowned as he peered at her shabby clothes and that of the child next to her. "How can I help you?" he asked rudely.

Trying to keep her voice steady and ignore the distain that the guard had for her, "I am here to see Special Agent Gibbs."

Frowning even more, the guard reviewed the sign in and out roster; he noticed Gibbs was still in the building. Given Agent Gibbs reputation, he knew he would have hell to pay if he didn't notify Gibbs of a visitor—though he still had to screen all visitors. "Do you have an appointment?"

"Not exactly, but . . ." she began.

"Listen, we don't interrupt Special Agents here without reason." He sneered.

Trying to keep calm and fight down the sudden dizziness that she felt. "I have information to tell him. . ."

At that particular moment another guard stepped over, "Ring up Agent Todd and see if they want to deal with her. Chances are if its information for a case they are working on Gibbs will want to see her, and you ain't high enough on the food chain to keep your ass safe from Gibbs if he founds out you didn't send someone with information up to him"

The first guard scratched his head, and sighed heavily. Picking up the phone he called Agent Todd's desk and informed her of a visitor for Gibbs. After a brief conversation, he nodded and hung the phone up. "Agent Todd wants us to send her on up. Jefferies, escort her through security and up to Gibbs's office. They will escort her from the elevator."

Jefferies, the guard who spoke up in the woman's favor earlier, stepped out from behind the desk with a visitor badges in hand. "Madam, I will need a name to put in the log."

Gulping slightly, "Donna Roe and daughter." The guard wrote the name down, and clipped the badge to her shirt. Noticing how she jumped when he got near her, he took a step back and gestured towards the waiting elevator. "Madam, if you would head this way, I'll escort you to Special Agent Gibbs's office."

The elevator ride seemed to take forever, though she was extremely grateful to be out of the cold and wind. The weather this time of year could take drastic turns, when they had started out this morning, the temperature, while not warm, tended to be fair. A few hours later and the weather turned absolutely frigid. Once the elevator doors opened, Jefferies stepped out and placed his hand to keep the door open. "This way, Madam," seeing Catlin standing up and waving towards him, "That's Agent Todd there. She will be with you shortly and get you to Agent Gibbs."

Nodding, she gripped the little girls hand tightly; she stepped out, "Thank you, sir."

Jefferies smiled, "No problem, Madam."

She walked over to the agents that the guard indiKated. She caught some of the conversation between the two agents, at their desks. The man behind the desk on her right stood up and grabbed the dry cleaning that was hanging on his file cabinet. "I'm taking this down to Ducky, Kate."

"Did you make sure that it didn't shrink at the cleaners? I would hate for you to give Ducky a smaller suit than he gave you."

"Very funny, Kate." He smirked, "Since I wore it, I can attest that this suit can't get any smaller." As he walked past, he flashed a smile to her. "Can I help you?"

"I got it, Tony. I got a call from downstairs to assist her; she's here to see Gibbs." Catlin told him, smiling warmly at the visitor. "Please, ignore him, he's a child. The guards downstairs said you had information regarding a case?"

Trying to keep her balance, she stepped forward. "I'm not sure it's a case, Agent?" she replied.

"Catlin Todd." Kate extended her hand out to the unknown woman, "And you are?"

At that moment, the dizziness intensified and a wave of extreme weakness hit her. A massive wave of blackness hit her. Suddenly standing upright took too much energy, and her strength gave out. As she began to fall, she let go of her daughter's hand and desperately tried to keep conscious. She couldn't fail the two of them now; she had to stay awake.

Kate yelled, "Tony, call for a bus!"

Tony dropped the dry cleaning on the floor and ran back to his desk. As he picked up the phone and punched the buttons. As he began urgently requesting an ambulance, Gibbs came around the corner with his coffee. Seeing the commotion, he set the coffee on his desk and ran over to Todd and the fallen woman.

"Kate, what's going on?" Gibbs barked.

"Not sure, Gibbs." Kate replied. "She came asking to speak with you, saying she information on a case, and collapsed before she could say anything."

Gibbs noticed her clothing, which was old and patchy. It was obvious that she had worn the same clothing for quite some time now. While it may have fit the woman at some point, it definitely was too big on her now. Next to her, a small child began crying and screaming, "Mommy, Mommy!" He reached over to turn the woman's face towards him, hoping he recognized her.

Her hold on consciousness fading, however her daughter's cried fueled her determination to hold on. Opening her eyes, she saw him. Reaching out to him, time seemed to turn backwards—to the time of her childhood. Yes, his hair was grayer than she remembered, but that face didn't change. And it offered her safety and security, for both of them. "Gibbs? Protect us? Save us?"

"Save you? Save you from whom?" Gibbs questioned her.

"Hide us? Please" she begged "Help us, Dad." At that moment, the blackness overwhelmed her.


	2. Chapter 2

Tony stopped and stared at Kate. He mouthed, Dad, to Kate. Kate appeared just as bewildered as he was. As he moved from his desk, he noticed the floor underneath the mystery woman. Pointing at the floor, "Boss, blood."

Gibbs gently lifted her up and raised the woman's shirt to get a look at her back. Tony hissed at the wounds on the woman's back. Wide slashes crisscrossed the woman's back and exposed the muscle beneath. Gibbs didn't flinch at the sight of the wounds, instead he barked out orders, "DiNozzo, grab the towel in my desk drawer. Let's try to stop this bleeding."

Tony quickly strode over and jerked Gibbs's bottom desk drawer open. Quickly he grabbed the towel and rolled it up. He tossed it over to Gibbs, who grabbed it out of mid-air. The little girl pulled and tugged at the woman's shoulders, trying to wake her up. "DiNozzo, get the child back and try to calm her down."

Tony hurried over, however when he made an attempt to pick up the child, she began screaming. Gibbs never removed his eyes from the woman below him, as he tried to apply enough pressure to stop the bleeding. It didn't escape his attention that the white towel rapidly turned red as it became soaked with blood. The woman's dark shirt hid how much blood she had already lost. Gibbs growled, "Let Kate handle the girl, DiNozzo. You find out where that bus is."

Kate immediately moved over to the child, "Come here, honey. We're going to get help for your Mom, ok?"

The girl's screams turned into crying. Hesitantly she came over to Kate, still crying. "Hide Mommy bad man?"

Gathering the child in the arms, she began to rub her hair trying to soothe the child. "We'll protect your Mommy, sweetheart. Try not to cry."

At the moment, EMTs stepped out of the elevator pulling a gurney behind them. Gibbs kept pressure on the wounds on her back. As the EMTs began checking out the woman's vitals, one noticed the position that Gibbs was holding the woman up. Noticing the amount of blood the towel absorbed, he questioned Gibbs "What happened?"

Gibbs continued applying pressure to the woman's back. "Came in off the street claiming to have information on a case and collapsed here while Agent Todd was attempting to talk to her. Once she was down, we noticed blood coming from her and began applying pressure to the wounds on her back."

The EMT nodded, "Pulse is steady and airwaves seem to be unobstructed. Blood loss may be the cause for her falling unconscious—we'll transport her to Bethesda." Jerking his chin towards the girl in Kate's lap, who was still crying, "Transport the child too?"

Noticing that the girl's appearance mirrored her mother's, Gibbs nodded. When she clutched tightly to Kate in fear of the male EMTs, he tilted his head towards the elevator. "Yeah." When the younger male EMT moved to take the child by the hand, she screamed again and buried her head into Kate's shirt. Frowning, Gibbs gestured towards the EMTs, "Kate, go with them. The child seems calmer with you."

Kate gently picked up the child, wrapping her up in a blanket that the EMTs handed her. Following the gurney into the elevator, she turned her head back towards Gibbs, "Any orders?"

"Yeah, find out who they are." Gibbs replied back.

Once the elevator door shut, Gibbs noticed the blood on his hands. "DiNozzo, find out who those two are and why they were here."

In the restroom, Gibbs scrubbed his hands to get the blood off. Something about the woman face triggered something in his memory, but he couldn't recall where he knew her from. And why had she called him, Dad? No one had called him that in, shutting off that line of thought; he made sure the blood was off his hands. Drying his hands off, he walked back out in the office. "What do you got for me?"

"Boss, security downstairs says that our mystery woman gave them the name of Donna Roe and claimed the girl was her daughter" Tony reported.

"Donna Roe?"

"Yeah, I'm running it now to see if I can get any hits."

Shaking his head, "Don't bother, DiNizzo. Donna Roe is an alias."

"How to you know that, Boss?"

"Because Donna Roe is another name for Jane Doe." Gibbs paced behind his desk for a moment, "See if Kate can get fingerprints when they arrive at the hospital. And have her get those prints to Abby. I want to know who she is and who she's running from. I want those answers now!"

He then turned towards the elevators, "I'm going for coffee."


	3. Chapter 3

Kate climbed up in the ambulance, with the girl clutching her shirt. Once in the ambulance, she tried to keep both of them out of the way of the gurney and the working EMTs. The EMTs quickly loaded the gurney with the unidentified visitor and drove to Bethesda Hospital. She could tell by the driver's actions, that the woman's condition was serious. Holding the girl tight, she struggled to maintain her balance and was amazed that the paramedics seemed to not have an issue.

Both men continued working on the woman—one of them grabbed the radio and began informing the emergency room of the woman's vitals. The other started an IV with fluids, trying to combat the blood loss and determine the full extent of her injuries. Her eyelids fluttered several times, Kate felt that the woman was struggling to wake up and tell them the information they needed.

The ambulance slowed, and then came to a complete stop. Before Kate could fully process that the vehicle stopped, the doors swing open and hands began pulling the gurney out of the ambulance. As Kate moved to step out of the ambulance, one of the EMTs grabbed the little girl she had been holding. The girl began screaming again, with her voice echoing against the concrete columns and sidewalk outside the ER doors. The reverberation caused many onlookers to wince and hold their hands over their ears.

Kate quickly jumped out of the ambulance and slung her backpack over her shoulder and retrieved the child from the EMTs' arms. She immediately began talking to the small child trying to quiet her down and soothe her. A nurse awaited them just inside the doors of the Emergency Room and guided them to an examination room in the back. Kate touched the nurse's arm, "Can you keep me informed on the woman's condition?"

The nurse nodded her head, "I will. They have her in the trauma unit now." Flipping the chart open, the nurse peered at the notes made by the EMTs. "The EMTs said there are no visible injuries on the child, but they could examine her?"

Kate shook her head negatively, "She screams whenever a male approaches her or tries to touch her."

The nurse wrote the information down in the chart, "And her name?"

Frowning, Kate replied, "I don't know. The mother passed out before being able to tell us anything." Smiling at the crying child, "What's your name, little girl?"

The child shook her head in a forceful no. "No talk. Mean man find us and hurt Mommy."

Setting the girl down on the examination table, Kate probed, "Do you know who the mean man is?"

"Mommy hide me and must say quiet until Mommy gets me out."

The nurse frowned, "I will have a pediatrician in here shortly to examine her."

Kate nodded, "Can you make sure it's a woman?"

Smiling the nurse nodded and left the room. Kate pulled her camera out and decided to grab a few photos—someone had to know who this little girl and her mother were. She patted the girl's leg, "Can you sit here for a few moments while I take your picture?"

"Picture? What a picture?" the girl asked between hiccupping sobs.

Kate flashed a beaming smile at the child. Lifting the camera, she snapped a quick photo of the little girl, the turned the back of the camera to her. Flipping the preview button, she pulled up the photo just taken. The sobs evaporated into childish wonder, "That me!"

"Yes, it is, Sweetie. I'm going to take several pictures of you before the doctor comes in, ok?"

"Kay."

Kate snapped several photos of the girl. Sorrow filled her heart as she took the photos. What kind of life had the young girl lead that she didn't know what a picture was? As she snapped the photos, she noticed something metallic glimmering around the neckline of the girl's shirt. Kate grabbed a pair of gloves from above the sink that was nestled against the wall of the exam room. "Sweetie, can I see what around your neck?"

The little girl pulled a chain from around her neck. What Kate had assumed was silver necklace, instead turned out to be a pair of military issued dog tags.

###

Trying to keep his voice calm and level, Tony peered up at the security guard. "Did she say what case she was here for?"

"No. Honestly, I assumed she was some homeless wanderer trying to get a free pass."

"Then why did you send her up to see Gibbs?" Tony asked, totally exasperated.

The guard studied his shoes when he answers, "Jefferies said to send her up. Said Gibbs would have my ass if she had info on a case and I turned her out. I've heard things about him. Didn't want rock the boat."

"Boat? Real funny." Tony muttered. Clear his throat, he questioned the guard some more. "Did she give you her name or Jefferies?"

"Jefferies"

"And where is Mr. Jefferies now?"

"Uhh. He went to the head, sir."

Sighing heavily, Tony rolled his eyes and tilted his head back against the wall. The guard he was interviewing began to get restless under Tony's gaze—which didn't concern Tony at all. The Boss wanted answers, and his job was to get those answers. The guard started fidgeting about the time they both heard the echo of footsteps coming down the hall. The guard took a quick glance around the corner, and breathed a sigh of relief. "Sir, that's Jefferies there."

"Thanks. You've been sooo helpful." Tony told him sarcastically. Bouncing off the wall, he met the guard halfway down the hallway. "Jefferies?"

"Yes, sir?"

"You're buddy over there says you are the one who assisted the woman who came in today to visit Agent Gibbs?" Tony quizzed him.

Nodding his head, he agreed. "Yes, sir, I did. Donovan down there decided to act like a grade a jackass, if you will pardon my language." The guard shuffled his feet slightly, before returning Tony's gaze, "Sir, that poor woman was in deep trouble. I could see it from ten feet away. That's why I told him to call Agent Todd. If you're in trouble, having Gibbs in your corner isn't a bad thing."

Tony peered at the man, "What makes you say she was in trouble?"

"I was an Army MP for almost twenty years, sir. I've seen some women in bad shape during that time—and she was. Knew it when I went to attach the visitor's badge to her shirt. Jumped a mile high almost. Nervous around men, too. I'd say she had been beaten and abused by a man—recently too."

Tony jotted notes down quickly, "And the name she gave you was Donna Roe?"

The guard appeared guilty then, "I figured it wasn't her real name. But I also knew that Agent Gibbs would get it sorted out shortly. Hell, I've seen him with some of the victims here, he'd help her."

Tony silently cursed his run of luck. "Well, let's hope so Mr. Jefferies. If we can find out who she is and what she's involved with."

"So the bus was for her then? Afraid of that."

"Yeah. And she passed out before telling us her real name or what trouble is following her." Tony snapped his notebook shut. "Thanks for the info."

As he headed back to the elevators, he answered his ringing phone. "Hey, Kate. Miss me?" His smiled widened after listening to her briefly. "That's great, Kate. On your way back? Good, grab me a caramel latte would ya? Kate? Kate?" He snapped his phone shut. "Figures."

Once he arrived at his desk in the bullpen, he immediately began pulling up info on the name that Kate had just given him. The more he had ready when Kate arrived back at the office, the better off both of them were going to be.


	4. Chapter 4

When Kate stepped into the office, she quickly pulled out her camera before dropping her backpack to the floor. Pulling out the memory card, she inserted it into the reader. While the reader scanned the memory card, she glanced over at Tony's desk. "What are you doing Tony?"

"Trying to bet my high score on Tetris. Wanna play?" Tony quipped back at her.

"Tony, I called you thirty minutes ago with the name on the dog tags. Have you done nothing during that time?"

"Do you have my caramel latte?"

"I didn't stop for coffee, Tony! There is a woman and young child in potential danger."

Tony shook his head at her, "No, they were in potential danger. They are now safe and secure at Bethesda Hospital where no bad guys can get to them."

"Honestly, Tony. You know Gibbs is going to want answers to who she is and why she came here today."

Tony quickly punched a series of buttons as he caught a glimpse of gray hair heading towards them from the elevators and turned to grab papers that he had stacked behind him.

Gibbs didn't hesitate as he strode into the bullpen area. "Alright, who's our mystery lady?"

Kate spoke up first, "I took her prints and got DNA samples from both the woman and the little girl down to Abby a few minutes ago. However I did find this with the little girl" she grabbed the remote and pulled up the photo of the dog tags around the girl's neck. "The tags have a Marissa Elizabeth Wayne, USMC imprinted on them. They appear genuine military issue, not some commercial knock off sold to civilians."

Gibbs scowled, "So who's Marissa Wayne?"

Tony jumped up and grabbed the remote clicker from Kate's hands, "Marissa Wayne, joined the Marines about 5 years. She married Jonathon Wayne, also a Marine and heir to the shipping magnate Harold Wayne, 4 years ago. Records show that she was an exemplary solider assigned to a Marine CID unit up until she disappeared about 2 years ago."

Kate spoke up after she reviewed the reports she found at her computer, "Marissa Wayne was no stranger to the Marine Corp. Records show that her mother, Victoria Skowronski, was a Gunnery Sergeant in the Corp until her death, when Marissa was 16. Marissa completed high school just a few months later after her mother's death and attended college in California. Once she graduated she also joined the Marines."

Gibbs stopped and stared a Kate. "What was the mother's name again?"

Kate doubled checked the record on her computer, before sending it to the plasma screen, "Victoria Skowronski. It appears she died in a training accident, just a few months before she was due to retire."

"Vicky Stormcrow. Damn" Gibbs muttered.

Kate appeared astonished, "You knew her mother?"

"You could say that, Kate. She served in my sniper unit in the Marine Corp." Gibbs chin jerked towards the plasma. "What's the story about the daughter's disappearance?"

"Umm, yeah, working on that, Boss." Tony stammered out. "I'm having the file sent over from Norfolk now. However, after talking to the guards downstairs, they both report that she seemed very jumpy and scared. Jefferies reported that she nearly jumped out of her skin when he got close to her to pin on the visitor's badge. He thinks that she was being beaten and abused."

Kate cued up the photos she took at the hospital, "Abused is right, Gibbs." Clicking to the photos of the women the hospital allowed her to take before she left. "The doctors believe that she was repeated whipped across the back, which caused the open wounds on her back. Some are recent, others are wounds that started to close, but re-opened. Probably by her walking here." Kate clicked to the next set of photos, "There were numerous welts and bruises all over her body. Everywhere except her face. That was left untouched."

"Was the little girl harmed?"

Shaking her head, Kate continued, "No. There's not a mark on her. The pediatrician that examined her said she wasn't abused or harmed, though it was highly possible that the girl hadn't been getting enough to eat. The doctor estimated her to be about 2, possibly 2 ½ years old." Kate's face and voice soften, "Gibbs, that child has been isolated most her life. She fears men, afraid that they are the bad man who hurt her mother."

"Can she describe what the bad man looks like?"

"No. Apparently her mother hid her whenever the bad man came near them. She's learned to hide until her mother gets her. The doctors say she's healthy, but underweight. They admitted her into the hospital for now."

Gibbs turned to Tony, "What age do the records show the girl should be, DiNozzo."

Tony searched frantically for the information, "Yeah, there's not a child listed in the records, Boss."

"So is the child someone else's?" Kate asked. "She called the woman, Mommy."

Gibbs studied the woman's face on the monitor. "Why would a woman who has been missing for two years, and suffering abuse come to NCIS? Any police officer would help her. Why would she come here?" Without taking his gaze off the monitor he answered his ringing cell phone, "Ok, Abby. I'm on my way down." He then smacked Tony across the back of the head.

"Hey!" Tony shouted to Gibbs departing back. "What was that for?"

"Playing games instead of having that missing person file ready for me."

Tony rubbed the back of his head and then grabbed his phone. "McGee, you better have something for me."

###

Gibbs walked into the lab with Abby's Café-Pow in hand. "What ya got Abbs?"

Abby's face lit up at the sight of the Café-Pow. "Ok, I ran the finger prints that Kate brought me against the prints on file for Marissa Wayne. They are a match!"

"What about the DNA?"

"Well, I haven't done anything with it, yet. Fingerprints don't lie, Gibbs. That woman is Marissa Wayne." Abby replied.

"Yeah, but I want to know if that little girl is the Wayne's or not. There's nothing in her military records showing a child." Gibbs informed her.

"So, this could be a kidnapping thing? I'll run the DNA, but it will take time."

"How long?"

Abby bite her lower lip, "About 12 hours?"

"Let me know when you find something, Abby" he instructed her, leaving the drink on her desk.

"Don't I always?" Abby told his retreating back.

###

Gibbs flashed his badge and got directions to which room the woman was in. The hospital staff had propped her up on her side, trying to keep pressure off the wounds she suffered on her back. The hospital gown seemed to magnify the cuts, welts and bruises that Kate's photos captured.

As he sat in the chair across from her, he studied her face. Now he knew why her face triggered memories. He knew her, more than anyone at NCIS could ever know.

_"Daddy! Meet my new friend, Rissa!"_

_"Hi, Mr. Gibbs."_

_"Hey there Rissa. What are you two girls doing this afternoon?"_

_Both girls giggled, "We're just playing with our dolls, Daddy. Rissa is moving in next door, so we will get to play all the time!"_

_He laughed, "Really? Play all the time? Guess that means I get all the cookies your Mom just baked then."_

_Huge eyes greeted the news of cookies, his daughter grabbed Rissa's hand, "Oh no you don't, Daddy! Come on, Rissa, Mom makes the best cookies ever!"_

**Slight disclaimer here, in this AU universe the season 5 episode, ****_Requiem_****, does not happen. I know the time lapse is a little off, but I'm using my writer's prerogative here to make things work in my AU. **


	5. Chapter 5

_"No memory is ever alone; it's at the end of a trail of memories, a dozen trails that each have their own associations." Louis L'Amour_

_In his dreams he saw them. The look on his wife's face as she gazed at him. The sound of his daughter's laughter as she discovered the world around her. In his dreams, he let go and let himself reach for them, hold them close and tell them how much he loved him. Sometimes he would talk with his wife, though mostly he never could find the words he needed before he woke up. _

_Tonight, he didn't see his wife in his dreams. Tonight, his daughter dominated the dream. Her normally cheerful expression gone, instead she seemed sad and thoughtful. Her eyes peered into his core being, "Daddy, Rissa is very sad."_

_"Why is Rissa so sad, baby?"_

_"She needs a Daddy to stand next to her so she can fight the bad guys. She thinks she's all alone."_

_He cupped his daughter's face, "It's not that easy."_

_"Rissa needs a Daddy, Daddy. You promised."_

_"It's been a long time since I made that promise."_

_"Daddy, you promised Rissa. And she needs you now more than I do."_

_The tears began to well up behind his eyes, "I miss you every day, baby."_

_"I miss you too. I love . . ."_

A loud metallic sounding bang jerked him awake. Gibbs rubbed the remnants of sleep from his eyes, and he searched for the source of the noise. A nurse was in the room bent over collection pieces of toast and fruit and piling it on top of a metal food tray. The red plastic cover was upside down on the table next to the nurse. Glancing up, she noticed that Gibbs was awake. "I'm sorry to wake you. I just miss judged the location of the table."

Gibbs tried to smile, though he still was haunted by the fragments of the dream that he had been in before the noise woke him. Nodding his head towards the women in the bed, he asked "Any change?"

The nurse shook her head. "No, but she should be waking soon. Hence why I was dropping off breakfast. She'll want something to eat soon." She finished cleaning up the mess created by the dropped food tray. "Can I bring you anything, coffee or water?"

The offer of coffee tempted Gibbs, but the memory of last night's coffee decided the issue for him. "No, thank you. I will probably be heading back to my office soon." He began debating whether he wanted to go home to shower and change, or just go back to the squad room as he was. He had just about decided on home and the shower, when the women began to move.

Groaning, the woman's eyes began to flutter rapidly. After several moments of her eyes fluttering, she finally managed to open them. Groaning, she made a move to sit up. Gibbs reached out and gently, but firmly, held her arm, keeping her from moving and potentially opening some of the wounds that could not be stitched the day before.

Her eyes quickly scanned the room—panic beginning to set in. She struggled again to rise, and Gibbs could see that she was frightened—and she was looking for a place to run. As the nurse began to enter the room, he waved her back. The calmer he could keep her, the better. "Stay still." He told her. His voice, gentle but firm, gave no room for agreement. "You are safe in Bethesda Hospital."

The panic didn't fade from the women's eyes, though Gibbs could now see she was processing the information he told her. "Does he know? He can still get us here." Her voice turn shrill, "Where's my daughter? Where is she? Is she alright?"

Gibbs pulled the chair he slept in last night over next to bed, so he could sit and look the women straight in the eyes. Inches from her face, he wondered now how he didn't recognize her earlier—while she was older, the face and features hadn't changed in all these years. "She's safe. I need you to ask you a few questions. First, what is your name?"

She blinked her eyes several times and gulped back the tears and panic that she was feeling. "I can't let him find us. He will kill us. I've got to keep ahead of him."

Gibbs shifted in his chair and leaned forward towards her. "I can't help you if you don't talk to me. Let me help you. Who are you?"

She closed her eyes for a few moments, and then opened them. Her face showed Gibbs the moment she decided to not let her terror and fear control her. Her voice was barely above a whisper, "Marissa Elizabeth Skowronski," she paused for several moments before continuing, "Wayne."

Gibbs tilted his head as he watched her. He took notice that she gave her maiden name and hesitated significantly before giving her married name. Gibbs jotted that note down in his notebook, before asking her his next question. "Do you know who I am?"

That question had the calming effect that he hoped for. The panic that flashed through her eyes began to recede slightly, though no one could claim that she was calm. She nodded her head, and whispered, "Jethro Gibbs." At that point tears begin rolling down her face, "You. . .You were my best friend's dad. You told me that you would be my dad when I needed one."

_"So, Kelly tells me that you are not going to the party Saturday." He said as he sat down on one of the steps near the young girl. She just shrugged her shoulders and continued to stare off into the backyard. "Want to talk about it?"_

_"It's not just a party. It's a Father-Daughter Marine Ball. I don't have a father." She attempted to sound annoyed, yet he could hear the hurt and pain in the young child's voice. _

_"Other kids are going without their fathers. Why can't you?"_

_This time, the anger and pain in her voice wasn't a front, it was real and deep. "Their dads aren't here due to their work. That's not me. My dad didn't want me." Tears began rolling down her face as she continued, "My dad didn't want me. So, I don't have a daddy, so why do I want to go to a party for something I don't have?"_

_"Well, see, there are all sorts of people out there. Now, I don't know why your dad made the choices he made." Gibbs took a drink from his bottle of water, "But what I do know is that sometimes, we get the opportunity to create our own families—sometimes family is more than who you are related to."_

_"So it's kinda like when Mrs. Shannon says me and Kelly are like sisters?"_

_He smiled, "Yeah. Like that. So I'll tell you what, I'll be your Dad." His eyes twinkled at the surprised expression on the girl's face. "Now, understand what this means. I get to see all report cards from school, if you get in trouble you have to deal with me in addition to any punishment your mother gives and I reserve the right to escort you to all dances and balls."_

_The little girl brushed her hair out of her face as she peered up at him, "Won't Kelly get mad about having to share her Daddy? I don't want her to get mad." She desperately wanted to accept his offer, but not at the loss of her best friend._

_He smiled at her, "Actually, it was Kelly's idea." He took another swig of his water, "So, next Saturday afternoon, I will escort both of you to the Father & Daughter Marine Ball. And I'll be there with the prettiest girls on base."_

_"Really? Truly?" Her face light up when he nodded at her, giving her all the reassurance she needed. "I've got to go tell Kelly and thank her." She darted off to go find Kelly, then stopped, turned back to him and ran at him. She quickly threw her arms around his neck, "Thank you, Mr. Gibbs."_

_He returned the hug, then pulled her down to view her face, "Anytime, Rissa." He watched the girl run off and stood up and head back into his kitchen. _

Gibbs and Marissa's eyes locked for a few moments—almost as they both relived the same memory at the same time. Waves of memory and emotion filled him, enough that he closed his eyes for a few moments to regain his control. Once he reigned in his own emotions, he studied the woman in front of him. Obviously, the little girl that he had known had grown in beautiful woman—at least she would be beautiful once her cuts and bruises healed.

He adjusted his grip on his notebook and pen, "I need to ask you a few more questions. The child that was with you, who is she?"

Marissa's panic rose at his question. "Is she alright? She's not hurt is she?"

Gibbs tried to reassure her, and press his question, "She's fine. They admitted her for observation only. Who is she?"

"She's my daughter." Marissa stared into Gibbs' eyes, emotion filling her voice, "Her name is Kelly Shannon."

He quickly closed his eyes, fighting back the tears that threatened to overcome him. He felt as he had been punched, yet he felt happy. This long lost friend of his daughter's youth still loved and mourned her friend enough that she named her daughter after her. His voice cracked slightly, "They would have been honored."

Marissa smiled, though tears rolled down her face. "I hoped so. She's the light of my world. I'd do anything for her." She wiped the tears from her face and tried to hide the grimace that the movement caused her. "She's the main reason I took the risk to run when I did. She's a sweet baby."

Gibbs nodded. "What happened? You've been listed as missing for over two years. Who did this to you? Where have you been?"

The fear returned to Marissa's face, followed by determination. Gibbs had seen that expression before—determination to not let their attacker or abuser get the better of them. "My husband did this. Jonathon Wayne."

###

Tony and Kate exited the evaluator together as they entered the office for the morning. As they settled in at their desks, Tony greedily pulled a gooey giant cinnamon roll from the white paper bag that he brought in. As Tony began trying to eat the gooey frosted roll, Kate rolled her eyes, "I swear, Tony, you are just like a child. If you get that frosting over any of that paperwork. . ."

Tony grinned at Kate's threat. Hell, he enjoyed teasing Kate—and he knew that his breakfast choice this morning would irritate her. He did make sure there wasn't any paperwork on his desk that was important, or perhaps more importantly, nothing that would go to Gibbs's desk. His ears still rang from the last time that had happened. Though he couldn't resist trying to tempt Kate, who he knew had a fondness for sweets, "Come on, Kate. You've got to admit, it smells almost heavenly."

Kate rolled her eyes at Tony, and tried to ignore how good the cinnamon roll did smell. Damn Tony for trying to tempt her. She loved sweets, but she also knew that something like that damn cinnamon roll would cost her hours at the gym working off the calories. "I'm surprised at you Tony. I thought you were trying to eat healthy. You know, retain your college figure."

"Well, Kate. I've been doing really well lately, and decided that I deserved a little treat." He replied.

Kate shook her head at Tony, "When have you been healthy? Between the junk food that you eat, and the 'supposed' health bars, Tony, small children know how to eat healthier than you."

Before Tony could give her a reply, a uniform officer, which according to his uniform, was a Major General with the Marine Corp, entered the bullpen area. Kate rose from her desk to address the General, "Can I help you Major General . . .?" she politely asked.

The General turned to her, while Tony quickly tried to wipe the frosting off his face. "Gambil, ma'am. I would like to speak to who's in charge here?"

Tony quickly threw down the napkin he had been using to get the sticky frosting off of him, "That would be me, Special Agent Tony DiNozzo. How can I help you?"

The General sneered at Tony, giving the impression that under any other circumstances, Tony wouldn't be worth his time or energy. Tony instantly didn't like him. The General cleared his throat, and continued. "My office received a report that you were looking into Marissa Wayne. Have you found something related to her disappearance?"

Tony's gut went into overdrive with that question. "Why do you think that we are looking into Marissa Wayne?"

"I had her file flagged—whenever someone accesses it, my office is immediately notified. Have you found her?" The General queried.

Tony studied the man before answering. "Her name came up during a current investigation."

The General pressed on, "Did you find her?"

"May I ask why you are so interested? And why you had her file flagged?" Tony asked.

Clearing his throat, he answered, "Her husband, Jonathon Wayne, is currently serving in my command. He's also a good friend—if his wife has been found, I would like to know. I don't want to raise any false hopes—he's been through a lot these past few years."

Tony straightened his back, he didn't need Gibbs's gut to know something was wrong here. Something definitely was wrong here. "Well, General, as I said, her name came up during our investigation. Should we find out anything more, I'll be sure to notify you and your office."

The General handed Tony his card and nodded, "Jonathon is currently halfway through a 30 day field exercise. I don't want to have to pull him out for another false lead, I'm sure you understand, Agent."

"Indeed, I do, General. I'll notify you should anything turn up." Tony remained standing in the middle of the bullpen and watched the General move to the elevator and leave the office. Turning to Kate, "You better pull the files on General Gambill and Jonathon Wayne. Something's up here." He then pulled out his phone and hit his speed dial. "Boss, we have a situation here."


	6. Chapter 6

Gibbs snapped his phone shut and silently swore. The General's involved in all likelihood was benign, yet his gut screamed at him how wrong the situation felt. He wanted to press Marissa for more details on her experience, but he didn't dare push it right now. The hospital staff swarmed the room the instant he stepped out to take Tony's call. He also noticed the annoyed glances from the nurses, who felt he infringed on their turf. He knew he would not be able to talk with Marissa for a while, so he walked over to the nurse's station. After giving the nurse orders to not give any information regarding Marissa or her daughter to anyone other than himself or his team and to expect guards for them, he headed for his car. It was time he got to the office.

Tony picked up the phone and dialed the now familiar number to the Norfolk office. After getting a voicemail, he pulled out his cell phone and searched for a number. After finding the number, he hit the green send button. Seconds after the other end answered, "You had better have a good reason for not have that file here. Do you know what Gibbs is going to do to you for failing to get him that file."

Several seconds of no response, Tony glanced down at his phone, then gave a hesitant, "Hello? Are you still there McGeek?"

At that moment the elevator doors opened, reveling Gibbs and Timothy McGee. Tony thumbed the end button on his cell phone, "McGee, what kept you? I've been trying to get a hold of you for hours now."

McGee shuttered slightly, "Tony, I sent you an email last night saying I was bringing the file on the morning HELO flight from Norfolk."

Bristling, Tony walked back to his desk and computer, "No you didn't. I wouldn't have been calling. . .oh wait, there it is." Peering up at Gibbs who just sat down at his desk, "It seems that McGee is bringing our file on the morning HELO flight." He then took the file from McGee, "Thanks, McGeek."

Tony began reading the file, and after shuffling a few pages, he glares at McGee, "Did you lose part of the file, Probie? Where's the rest of it?"

McGee's eye rounded in horror. "No! I double checked, that's all there was. I swear—I even called and check with the Marine Corp Logistics Base in Albany, Georgia. The agent there assured me everything was handled by Norfolk."

Gibbs quickly stood and joined the two men, "Did you take the agent's word, or did you look, McGee?"

Raising his gaze to meet Gibbs's, McGee tried to talk fast enough to appease Gibbs, which he knew was not an easy feat. "I checked electronically, of course, and talked to the Special Agent in charge in Georgia." He stammered a bit, but then recovered to complete his report, "The Agent had just recently assigned to the base there right before Marissa Wayne disappeared and remembers the case well. Says that the Captain insisted on Norfolk leading the investigation into his missing wife."

Tony spoke up at that point, "Not much in the file that we don't already know, Boss. Seems that Captain Jonathon Wayne and his wife departed Albany, Georgia for their new duty stations in Norfolk and Quantico. While Captain Wayne made it to Norfolk with no problems, his wife, First Lieutenant Marissa Wayne did not."

Gibbs gave Tony a quizzical look, "They traveled separately? From Georgia to Virginia? That still doesn't explain why Norfolk led the investigation."

Reading through the file Tony supplied the answers, "It appears they were traveling in their own personal vehicles—since their household items had already been packed and shipped out. Captain Wayne asked Norfolk to lead the investigation since that was where they were headed and both had cleared the base in Albany."

Kate picked up the remote and flipped a file on screen for all of them to see, "According to Marissa Wayne's records, she was actually under medical leave at the time of her disappearance."

"What reason was she out on medical?" Gibbs queried.

"Maternity leave," Kate answered him. "Her records show that she still had another four weeks of leave—she had been given extra time due to complications after her child's birth and her PCS orders." Kate then glanced at the men around her, "At the time of her disappearance, her child would have only been 5 weeks old. That could be the reason why no child is listed for either parent."

McGee nervously ventured forward, "Attached to the official file, the Norfolk agent who investigated noted that the Wayne's had planned on getting their child inputted into the DEERS program when Lt Wayne reported to Quantico."

"This is why their military records do not show a child—they never reported a child." Kate replied.

Tony pulled the few photos that the Norfolk file included out and passed them to Gibbs. "Seems that the Lieutenant's car was found about three hours from Norfolk in an isolated area of the highway. The initial investigation deemed that she ran into engine trouble then tried to walk with the baby to get help."

Gibbs glared back at Tony, "And?"

Shrugging his shoulders, he replied, "That's it. Nothing else—no ideas on what happened or any further evidence."

Kate took the file from Tony and flipped through it, "Gibbs, there wasn't more than a couple of days investigation done on this. Why wasn't more done to find a Marine Lieutenant and her 5 week old baby? This doesn't seem right."

Gibbs strode away from the group—heading for the stairs. "No it doesn't. Keeping digging and get me everything you can on the Waynes." Pausing halfway, he looked at McGee, "McGee, you got time to pull cell phone records before heading back to Norfolk?"

"Y-Yes, sir. My seat back isn't until 1700."

"Good. Tony—find him a computer to work at." He instructed them as he headed up the stairs into MTAC. Once in MTAC, he allowed his eyes to adjust to the lower light, then spotting the Director, he quietly took the empty seat next to him. "Sir."

"Gibbs" Director Morrow gave in greeting. "What have you gotten into that has General Gambill peppering my office with calls?"

"A missing Marine Lieutenant wandered into our office yesterday—and appears to be married to one of his officers." Gibbs informed him.

"How long was she missing?"

"About 2 ½ years" he then handed the Director the Norfolk file that he had taken back from Kate. "Doesn't appear that NCIS did much to investigate the Lieutenant's disappearance, or that of her 5 week old daughter, despite them disappearing under mysterious circumstances."

"What does the Lieutenant say happen to her?" Gibbs jaw and voice harden, "That her husband is responsible for her captivity and torture."

"Torture?"

"Yes, sir. I want to keep a tight lid on this. I've already assigned guards to both her and her daughter's hospital rooms at Bethesda."

Morrow examined Gibbs for several moments, "Is this personal, Jethro?"

"In a way. I knew the Lieutenant's mother in the Corp. Regardless, no one deserves what she got. If a Marine did this, I want him."

"Agreed. Proceed as you see best."

Gibbs nodded and stood to leave, "Will you stonewall, the General for me?" The Director nodded, and then returned his gaze to the screen ahead of him.


End file.
